COVID-19 reappears in recovered South Korean patients

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - In an unexpected turn of events in South Korea, 91 people who were thought to have recovered from coronavirus tested positive for the second time.

Despite this worrying trend the lowest number of fresh cases was reported in the last 24 hours, said Jeong Eun-kyeong, the head of Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director General, on Friday.

Those who tested positive for the second time account for 1% of the total recoveries, he said, according to Yonhap news agency.

Of the country’s 10,450 confirmed cases, more than 7,000 have gone on to make a recovery.

The Korean health official said the country’s new coronavirus cases were just 27 on Thursday for the first time since Feb. 20. There were 39 such cases on Wednesday.

The southeastern city of Daegu, which was declared a virus hotspot, reported no new case for the first time.

Meanwhile, the death toll climbed to 208 with four more fatalities.

The pandemic has also caused a slump in South Korea's multi-billion-dollar car manufacturing industry.

A statement by Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association said that the country’s carmakers and auto parts firms will suffer a cash shortage of at least $23 billion if the coronavirus situation continues for the next four months.

They added that if the automobile industry remained affected during the April-July period, sales will plunge by 30%.

Since appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the novel coronavirus has spread to at least 185 countries and regions.

Data compiled by the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University shows worldwide infections surpassed 1.6 million, with the death toll above 96,000, while more than 356,000 people have recovered so far.